The third annual Security Studies Dialogue, themed “Gagan Shakti: The Confluence of India’s Civilian and Defense Space Domains,” was held on November 10, 2025, focused on India’s civil and military space ecosystems. The program featured two focused roundtable discussions and two in-conversation sessions. 

The closed-door convening brought together policymakers, defence experts, and industry stakeholders, with interventions by the vice chief of the Indian Air Force and the director general of the Defence Space Agency. Discussions examined the impact of recent space sector reforms, assessing progress across key segments, highlighting success stories, and identifying regulatory, investment, and other challenges in achieving the ambition of a $44 billion space economy by 2033. Participants also reflected on broader developments in space and high-technology domains, including India’s long-term research and development priorities. In parallel, the dialogue reviewed India’s defence space capabilities in the context of recent multi-domain operations. While strengths in space-based intelligence, surveillance, navigation, and communications were acknowledged, participants identified critical gaps in real-time ISR, space domain awareness, and resilient, secure systems also drawing on the lessons from Operation Sindoor in May 2025. The discussions further explored India’s position relative to its adversaries and outlined pathways to strengthen its strategic edge through enhanced domestic innovation, private sector participation, and international collaboration.